Monthly Archives: June, 2022

(The Center Square) – Abortion is once again front and center in Wisconsin’s race for governor.

Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday called the Republican-led legislature into a special session on June 22 to “repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban.”

“I’ve said all along I’ll never stop fighting to defend reproductive rights and safe, legal access to abortion as long as I’m governor, and today, I’m asking Wisconsinites to join us by making your voices heard.”

That drew immediate reaction, and condemnation, from the Republicans running for governor.

Kevin Nicholson was first to react.

“You ignore record murder on our streets and call a special session to encourage the continuation of a practice that has killed 500K+ Wisconsin children and 60M+ American children since #RoeVWade,” Nicholson said on Twitter.

Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch said Republican lawmakers in Madison need to hold the line.

“Tony Evers wants abortion without restrictions. Republicans should reject his special session,” Kleefisch said in her own tweet.

Candidate Tim Michels fired-off a string of tweets in response to the governor’s call to “get to work.”

“Yes Tony, let’s get to work. But here’s what must be done if you’re going to recall the legislature: Fix the tragic mess at the Union Grove Veterans Home by the 4th of July. Pass and sign into law the Parental Bill of Rights. Ban Zuckerbucks,” Michels tweeted. “Oh, and you could fire John Chisholm today.”

Wisconsin is one of more than two dozen states where abortion will become illegal if Roe v. Wade is overturned. The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to do that any day now.

Abortion is a divisive issue in Wisconsin and in the race for govenror.

The latest Marquette Law School Poll from last month shows not quite half (48%) of Democrats believe it is one of the most important issues, while nearly a third (31%) of Republicans, and 38% of independent voters say the same thing.

Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, is leading a group of GOP leaders demanding to know what plans the Biden administration has to prevent electricity blackouts that are predicted for this summer.

McMorris Rodgers is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In that capacity, she authored two letters this week that were signed by 25 other Republicans.

The duplicate letters have been sent to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Richard Glick, chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The letters demand information by June 21 about what steps Granholm and FERC are taking to keep lights and air conditioners on across American during the summer heat.

“These reliability risks have been unfolding in plain sight, yet we have seen little concerted effort during the Biden administration to address relevant policies that contribute to these risks—policies relating to the delivery of energy fuels, market-design issues, environmental agendas, and regulations that threaten power generation,” state the letters dated June 6.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation warned in late May that parts of the U.S. face the possibility of blackout in the coming weeks.

Devin Hartman, director of energy and environmental policy for the R Street Institute and a former NERC advisor, described the risk for the grid failure for Washington and the West coast to The Center Square as "unlikely, but not trivial."

NERC expects the electricity shortfall to be worse for customers living in a large region in the middle of the nation, extending from Wisconsin to Louisiana, with an increased risk to the grid during the times of extreme weather in both the late summer and winter.

“Blackouts are life threatening and extremely dangerous,” McMorris Rodgers told FOX News on Tuesday. “President Biden, the Department of Energy, and FERC must take these threats and their responsibility to ensure reliable and affordable energy seriously.”

She said the president and his advisors embracing a green agenda that is shutting down American energy. She said this agenda is leaving the nation dependent upon intermittent and unreliable sources that strain the electrical grid.

“People are suffering enough from record high and unaffordable costs created by President Biden’s energy crisis,” McMorris Rodgers told FOX. “They deserve and need every assurance their lights and air conditioning will come on this summer to keep themselves and their families safe.”

The GOP letter dated June 6 asks Granholm and Glick if their respective officers are interacting with the Environmental Protection Agency on changes to rulemaking and enforcement that could affect the electrical grid.

They are asked to describe their communication with other agencies, states, NERC and independent system operators about assuring reliability in power delivery.

In addition, they are asked to list all potential and proposed rules they have provided comment on in regard to electricity generation. And any enforcement actions related to the grid that they have provided feedback on.

The federal officials are also asked to list all waivers or other emergency actions they have taken in the past two years in connection with electricity reliability.

Republican U.S. senators on Tuesday questioned Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on the issue of school choice in the public education system.

In his opening statement during a hearing of a Senate appropriations subcommittee,, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., emphasized the desire for parents to have options when choosing where to send their children for school.

"Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic now more than ever, parents need to be involved. Parents want to have the flexibility, to choose the school that best meets their child's needs," Blunt said.

Cardona's department has what Blunt said he considers "overreaching charter school program regulations" that act to restrict the expansion of charter schools.

"I encourage you to reconsider those regulations," he added.

Advocates of charter schools argue that they outperform public schools.

A study released in 2019 by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), reported that Baton Rouge students enrolled in charter schools performed better than students in traditional public schools.

Another study by CREDO released in May found similar results among students in Denver.

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., also pressured Cardona on the issue of school choice.

"Part of what works in Indiana is the money follows the child, not the building, not the district, so to speak," Braun said. "Do you believe in that concept so that we're putting resources to the places that have the kids there?"

Cardona disagreed with Braun's proposal.

"I believe we need to make sure all of our schools are well resourced, so we don't have a system of winners and losers," Cardona said. "I believe that we need to fund public schools so that every student that attends a public school could have a high-quality education. I believe, there has to be an equal part, support, and accountability. You provide adequate resources, adequate professional learning opportunities, but then there has to be an equivalent amount of oversight and accountability to make sure that those schools are producing, and I understand that in some cases, that's not happening."

(The Center Square) – The tragic and deadly shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, have renewed the debate over gun control measures, but another policy idea also has been thrust back to the forefront: arming teachers.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., in 2013, Texas passed a law allowing teachers to sign up as firearm-carrying “marshals.” The program has not had widespread adoption. Several other states have laws allowing teachers to carry firearms on school grounds.

Now, Ohio may follow suit with its own plan to allow teachers to carry guns.

Ohio Republicans have spearheaded the issue in their state, passing a bill in both the House and the Senate this week that would reduce the amount of training teachers need to carry a gun to school from 700 hours to 24 initial hours followed by four recurring hours of training that the state’s attorney general would oversee. Ohio school districts would have the authority to add additional hour requirements.

Federal law prohibits carrying guns on K-12 school grounds but does allow exceptions for adults with state-issued licenses, leaving states wiggle room to create their own policies. So far, there is no nationwide consensus, and states have often deferred to local school districts.

The debate has been furthered after controversy surrounding the police response to the recent Texas shooting – the Uvalde shooter was active for over an hour inside the school before federal border agents confronted and killed him.

Newly released polling from Convention of States Action, along with the Trafalgar Group, found the majority of surveyed Americans say armed teachers would make schools safer. Currently, very few schools actually have teachers carrying weapons on school property.

The poll reports that “57.5 percent of American voters believe that preventing properly trained school teachers and school staff from carrying a firearm makes schools more dangerous” compared to 30.8% who say the opposite.

The poll surveyed 1,091 likely voters nationwide from May 25 through May 29 with a 2.9% margin of error. The poll's results varied by political affiliation, with 57.1% of Independents and 67.5% of Republicans favoring arming teachers while 48.2% of Democrats said the same.

Notably, younger Americans were most supportive, with 61.8% of 18-24 year-olds saying that prohibiting properly trained teachers from carrying guns would make schools less safe.

Polling of teachers suggests they are not as supportive. A Gallup poll from 2019 found that 73% of surveyed teachers “oppose teachers and staff carrying guns in schools” and 58% said “carrying guns in schools would make schools less safe.”

(The Center Square) – There are some unanswered questions about the end of the misgendering investigation in Kiel Schools.

The school district on Thursday sent a letter to parents explaining that it has closed the case.

“We are writing to share with you that consistent with our Board policies and procedures, we have issued clear directives and expectations to all students involved in this matter for the purpose of preventing bullying and harassment and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students,” the district wrote in its letter. “Based on these actions, and pursuant to District policies and procedures, the School District considers this matter closed.”

Kiel Schools had been investigating three eighth grade boys whose parents said they refused to use they/them pronouns for another student.

School leaders framed the investigation as a Title IX case involving sexual harassment and bullying.

“The Kiel Area School District prohibits all forms of bullying and harassment in accordance with all laws, including Title IX, and will continue to support ALL students regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, sex (including transgender status, change of sex or gender identity), or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability (“Protected Classes”) in any of its student programs and activities, consistent with Board policy and the law,” the letter stated.

But Luke Berg with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which was defending the boys, on Thursday said the investigation was about free speech.

"We are pleased that the Kiel Area School District has finally ended its misguided Title IX investigation. While the District’s statement attempts to reframe the investigation, it was always primarily about ‘mispronouning.’ The District may not be willing to admit it publicly, but it has recognized that it has no legal basis to demand that our clients refrain from ‘mispronouning’ other students,” WILL’s Luke Berg said.

Kiel schools are not saying what the outcome of the investigation is, or whether the boys will face any discipline.

The investigation touched-off a week of bomb threats to Kiel Schools, and one arrest of a California man who the FBI says threatened to kill a Kiel school worker.

(The Center Square) – Millions of Americans say the likely will have to push back their retirement because of rising inflation, newly released financial survey data found.

The BMO Real Financial Progress Index, a quarterly survey from BMO and Ipsos, showed that a quarter of Americans will likely need to delay their retirement because of higher prices.

“Nearly 60% of those surveyed said that inflation has adversely affected their personal finances, of which about one in four said that they have felt a major impact,” the group said. “As a result of inflation, 36% of Americans have reduced their savings and 21% have reduced their retirement savings. A quarter of Americans will need to delay their retirement. Younger Americans are feeling the most impact – over 60% of those aged 18-34 said they had to reduce contributions to their savings.”

This survey of more than 3,400 adults was conducted from March 30 to April 25.

Prices on a range of goods and services have soared since President Joe Biden took office, with energy costs leading the way. The latest data on the consumer price index, a key marker of inflation produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has reported the highest inflation rate in four decades.

“The all items index increased 8.3 percent for the 12 months ending April, a smaller increase than the 8.5-percent figure for the period ending in March,” BLS said. “The all items less food and energy index rose 6.2 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index rose 30.3 percent over the last year, and the food index increased 9.4 percent, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending April 1981.”

Those price increases are forcing many Americans to change their spending habits. According to the BMO survey, ​​”80% of Americans surveyed plan to change their actions to offset the impact of inflation and rising costs of everyday essentials.”

That includes looking for cheaper groceries, eating out less, driving less, canceling vacations and more.

"Prices across the board – from cars and gasoline to groceries and other everyday essentials – are rising at the fastest pace since the 1980s,” said Paul Dilda, head of consumer strategy for BMO Harris Bank. “Consumers must think differently about their finances in this inflationary environment."

The survey comes alongside recent polling that shows the majority of surveyed Americans blame Biden for inflation. Convention of States Action, along with the Trafalgar group, released polling this week that found that “59.9 percent of American voters believe that President Biden’s policies and spending are the leading contributor to rising inflation in the U.S.”

Biden has acknowledged rising prices but pointed to the invasion of Ukraine, blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin, though prices began rising well before the invasion.

According to the poll, many voters do blame Putin, but more hold Biden responsible, with only 31.6% saying that “Russia’s war with Ukraine is the leading contributor to rising inflation in the U.S.”

(The Center Square) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted this week she was wrong and underestimated inflation, which continues to soar.

During an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer Tuesday, Yellen said that she failed to anticipate that inflation would become such a significant problem.

"I think I was wrong then about the path that inflation would take," she said, referencing a statement she made at the Wall Street Journal's CEO Summit in May of last year.

"I don't think there's going to be an inflationary problem," Yellen said at the time. "But if there is, the Fed will be counted on to address it."

Yellen's concession comes as Americans face record high gas prices with a national average of $4.67 per gallon of unleaded gas as of Wednesday, according to AAA. That average has risen every day this week. Food prices have risen by 9.4% since April of last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Yellen defended her previous comments during the CNN interview, though, saying, "there have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy that have boosted energy and food prices, and supply bottlenecks that have affected our economy badly, that, I didn't at the time, didn't fully understand, but we recognize that now."